Thursday, August 15, 2013

Cute
is a word that I use from time to time, but when it is used in
referring to me, or my home it kind of makes me cringe a little.

I
use to have people say my home was darling, or cute, and that bothered
me. How about sophisticated, pretty or elegant? I liked those words
better.

A friend and I had a discussion about the word “Cute.” She came up with what I like to call the adult word for cute……..

“CHARMING”

Charming,
now that is a word that I can handle. So why am I having a dialog about
the word cute? Well, there is a pattern that I love and it is often
looked at as being “Cute.”

“CHECKS”

I love checks, or gingham. I always have and I love to use them in my home. But, I don’t want the room to look cute, but I surely would not mind it looking charming.

I did a little research on checks, and saved some images that I found attractive and appealing.

After
looking at how checks were used in these images a couple of things
stood out to me on why they looked sophisticated, and charming vs. cute,
or darling.

Let’s look at some of the images I have saved and I will tell you about my observations…………..

There
is not only one color of checks in this room, but two. I find this room
charming but it is not cute to me. Why? because in this room the lines
and the style of the furniture keep it more sophisticated.

This
image has furniture with a totally different style and lines than the
first image, and yet I still find this sophisticated. I think the grounding factor of the black, and the addition of the nail heads keep this from being “cute!”

This
borders on cute for me. I think the trim on the pillows points it
towards that direction. The use of color here makes it stay out of cute
territory. The size of the check is also a noticeable element that makes
it a bit more sophisticated.

Color
plays a big part in keeping this from going towards cute for me. The
scale of the check is large enough to make an important statement in the
room, and yet the subtle beige color keeps it from being cute.

Hmmmmm?
This is interesting to me. I am a lover of blue and white and pops of
green. I have always found blue and white porcelain to be a classic
accessory, so why is this is looking a bit cute to me?

Two things jump out to me. The scale of the check is smaller, and the fun little church takes this into

“Cute -land” for me.

Neutral colors, and the style of the modern looking take on the wing chair is the driving force away from cute.

Yet,
this is a small scaled check just like the blue so maybe it is more
color choice than scale that will make the difference to me.

I like the large scale of the blue and white check here and yet it goes a little towards cute!! Why?

Because
of the colors it is paired with. The wall color is too matchy, and
bright. Adding the touch of shell pink on the inside of the shelf
definitely takes it towards cute.

I
am a lover of black and white. I am finding this almost cute, and in
this image it is because of the style of the over-sized chair.

The
larger rolled arm is what is making it almost cute, but I still really
like this image. The black grounds it, and the rope table adds a nice
element of texture here.

I like the larger scale of this check. The golden-beige and cream color of the check are what keep this from being cute.

Although this is a bit too many checks for me I still find the color, and scale of this check is staying away from cute.

Simple
lines and large scale make this sophisticated to me. Looking more
closely at this room you will see stripes in the table and polka-dots in
the cache’ pots holding the topiaries.

I will have to admit, it is hard to make a polka-dot look like anything
but cute, but I am sure it probably can be done.(note to self, good
idea for a future post!)

I am finding this to be a bit cute. The ruffled pillows and the overtly thematic sea-side room makes it go into cuteness for me.

In
this image we have the same scale and color of the previous image. I
know the blue is a bit more grayed in this image, but it is still in the
blue family.

However,
this room is so classically beautiful because of the amazing lines of
the antique gold gilded bed. There are ruffles in the room, and yet this
room does not read cute at all.

Red
and white checks can read very cute to me and this one borders on cute.
I think the lines of the furniture keep it from being too sweet. The
bedding pushes it towards cute with its small scale and floral pattern.

It appears sometimes the other fabrics you pair with the checks can take it towards looking cute.

Color,
scale, style and the lines of the chairs in this image make this
anything but cute. This room is full of character, and texture, and a
nice neutral color palette. I love this room.

via Cote de Texas

Same room different angle.

This image has curves and ruffles and yet the neutral palette and texture in the surrounding objects keep it from being cute.

This has a few more checks than I can handle, and it it mixed with a darling Swedish floral stripe on the vintage bench.

I
think because of the abundance of the checks in the one large piece of
furniture, and the sweetness of the bench fabric this is almost cute to
me. I am finding there is a fine line for me that will take a check into
cute-land.

So, there you have it!! My study on why some checks look cute to me and others can still remain sophisticated and charming.

Here is what I discovered:

Larger scaled checks look less cute to me.

A small scaled check will be charming if done in a neutral color.

By pairing a check to cute accessories whether the check is large or small it will still look cute to me.

The lines of the furniture need to be more on the straight side if upholstered in a check.

Upholstering a classic piece of furniture in a check will still not make it look cute.

Furniture that is too curved or overly stuffed can tend to go towards cute more easily than a straight lined piece.

Certain colors of checks will look cute to me. The color and the scale combination is what I have to be aware of.

A
red and white check will almost always feel cute to me unless it is in a
large scale. The same thing with blue and whites or yellow and whites.

I will leave you all with the checks that I have in my very own home……